Education was a strong influence for Ifeoma Chinyere Agbo and her four siblings, whose parents both were teachers. Her father’s confidence in Agbo prompted him to enroll her in a science secondary school, which in turn led her to a career in veterinary medicine with a passion for molecular biology. Agbo’s position as a university lecturer does not leave her as much time for research as she would like. “Despite substantial teaching and administrative responsibilities, I am really interested in developing solutions for villagers,” she says, “particularly women farmers, whose chickens die in flocks from a serious bacterial disease caused by multi-resistant strains of Escherichia coli.”